Beaten Belliss advances
Most of the big names successfully negotiated the qualifying rounds in the men’s pairs at the New Zealand bowls championships in Dunedin yesterday.
Heading the list of the most impressive was Shannon McIlroy ( Stoke) and Lance Pascoe ( Belfast). They got the required fourth win yesterday morning – 18- 14 over 1995 champions, Peter Belliss ( Aramoho) and Lance Tasker ( Birkenhead). The loss, didn’t stop Belliss and Tasker advancing to tomorrow’s postsection play.
Other pairings to qualify with a bit of class were Gary Lawson ( Victoria) and Ben King ( Wilton), Richard Girvan ( Onehunga) and Chris Lelievre ( Eastbourne), and Blake Signal ( Stokes Valley) and Alvin Gardiner ( Elmwood).
Defending champion Ali Forsyth ( Havelock), playing with Andre Smith this time, suffered two setbacks yesterday. But the necessary fourth win came in the sixth round, 22- 8 over Geoff Bovey ( Tawa Services). Andrew Kelly ( Redcliffs) and Michael Kernaghan ( Kaikorai) also needed the sixth round to advance.
The biggest name to fall by the wayside was current singles titleholder, Shaun Scott ( North East Valley). Playing with Stephen O’Driscoll, Scott needed to win in the final round to qualify, but it wasn’t to be, as the prominent local duo of Blair Barringer and Robbie Thomson ( Fairfield) recorded their sixthstraight win 20- 15.
There was also a tale of hard luck for two former champions, Petar Sain ( Carlton Cornwall) and Robin Jefferson ( Gisborne). After three wins on Saturday, they were perfectly placed to qualify. But they lost the lot yesterday to miss out.
Other notable nonqualifiers were the 2003 winner Wally Marsic ( Carlton Cornwall), NZ under- 25 rep Mark Watt ( North East Valley) and Graham Skellern ( Tauranga), a semifinalist last season.
New Zealand’s two top women bowlers were shocked in the opening round of qualifying in the women’s pairs yesterday.
United’s Jo Edwards and Val Smith, the pre- tournament favourites and the 2008 world champions, were dumped 24- 12 by Taieri’s Jan Barclay and Lorraine Turnbull. Perhaps the shock of Smith and Edwards drawing each other in the first game of post section in the singles tomorrow contributed to the loss, but if that was the case it was soon forgotten. They finished with two wins, while the Taieri pair lost their other two games.
Three further rounds will be played today, with four wins required to qualify.
Prominent three- winners were Amy McIlroy ( United) and Clare McCaul ( Silverstream), and Leigh Griffin ( Victoria) and Kirsten Griffin ( United)
After missing out in the singles on Saturday, Mandy Boyd ( Burnside), playing with sister Angela Boyd ( Taradale), still has a chance of a thirdsuccessive pairs final after two wins. Other good pairs to drop a game included Helen King and Lisa White ( Victoria), and the defending champions Sandra Keith and Serena Matthews ( Dunsandel).
Manawatu In the women’s pairs Feona Sayles ( Northern) won twice, while Robyn Schischka ( Johnston Park) had one win. Sayles qualified in the singles on Saturday.